Hunter, Prey
By Sapphire
Disclaimer in part 1
Chapter 6 – A Matter of TrustJohn had chosen to talk to Hunter while lying on his bed. This way, he could look up at the ceiling and Hunter could easily project everything he wanted to say on his retina. When John had asked how Hunter was making the words visible, he had said that he had a very thin film covering John's retinas, using it to see through John's eyes. When he wanted to form a word, he just thickened bits of that film, creating a shadow on the back of John's eyes. A pretty ingenious system, really, though John thought it a bit cumbersome. What if he was doing something else and Hunter needed to talk to him? This was an accident waiting to happen. Hunter had replied that he was working on using John's eardrums instead of the eyes, but so far he didn't trust himself to form understandable words. After a short demonstration, John had conceded the point. This definitely would need some more work on Hunter's side.
"Okay, Hunter," John started. "I'm willing to help you. But there are a few things we need to clear first."
WHAT DO YOU WANT
"You say that your special friend might be in one of my family or friends. How do you plan on finding out who is the one?"
I CAN SENSE HIM
"How?"
YOU TOUCH AND I SEND A PROBE
THE BLOOD CHANGES
"So your presence in my body changes something in my blood and you are able to detect that?"
YES
John thought. If he got back onto the island somehow, he should be able to arrange to touch everybody there at one point or another. And even if not, he should be able to arrange getting some blood from those he could not exclude at first. He wasn't so sure yet how, but he would find a way.
"Okay, we can work with that for now. Next question: When we find the other, how do we get him out of his host? I take it, he wouldn't go willingly."
NO
I AM SORRY
I DO NOT KNOW
I DID NOT THINK TO FIND HIM ON A PLANET WITH INTELLIGENT BEINGS
That was bad news. So even if they could find out who the host of the other alien was, they might not be able to get him out.
I CAN FIGHT HIM
GO INTO THE SAME HOST
BUT THIS CAN CAUSE DAMAGE TO THE HOST
That solution wouldn't do.
"Is there any reason why he would leave voluntarily?"
ONLY IF THE HOST IS IN DANGER
John mulled that over.
"So, if the host would be, say, in a fire, then he would leave."
YES
BUT THE DANGER MUST BE REAL
John could think of a few ways to simulate a dangerous situation, but each way still contained some risk that it might go wrong. It was too dangerous.
He filed that idea away for later, and went on.
"You said earlier that the other one has already caused damage to a host. That's why you hunt him, right?"
YES
"So, if this is the case, how did you guys get him out of the other host? Or did he go peacefully?"
THERE IS A WEAPON THAT DRIVES US OUT
A weapon. John could work with that. Or rather, Brains could work with that. There was little the brilliant engineer couldn't make possible. That was if Brains wasn't the one infected.
"What do you know about this weapon? Can we make it on Earth? Is there something special we need?"
I DO NOT KNOW NAME OF MODE
Damnit! John had feared something like this was going to happen. The communication link he had already formed with Hunter had made him somehow forget that the alien had only a limited vocabulary so far. Actually, it was pretty impressive what he already had picked up after only little over a week on Earth.
He sighed. The only thing was to wait then and hope that Hunter would be able to pick up the right words in time. Another possibility was to make sure that Brains was in the clear, and then give him a sample of his own blood. This way, Brains should be able to identify the marker Hunter had mentioned and also find a way to destroy it.
"Okay," John said. "We have to work on that later. Now I want something else."
WHAT DO YOU WANT
"I want you to leave my body. For a short while only."
There was a moment's hesitation, then, WHY
"Two reasons, really. First, I need to see if it's possible for one of your kind to leave a human body without damaging it. Maybe you will have to go into one of my brothers to fight the other one, and in this case, I want to know if you can leave him after that. Or me, for that matter."
I SEE
WHAT IS THE OTHER REASON
Now it was John's term to hesitate. He took a deep breath.
"I want to be honest with you. I know nothing of you. You seem to be an okay kind of guy, but I need some proof that you are on the level. That I can trust you."
Again, there was a moment quiet.
I UNDERSTAND
I WILL DO WHAT YOU WANT
John exhaled. He hadn't been sure how the alien would react to the request. There was actually a third reason but he hadn't wanted to tell that one to the alien.
"Do you need something? A container or are you okay on the floor?"
A BUCKET WILL DO
Funny how the alien managed to transfer indignity at being forced to move into such a lowly receptacle, but somehow he did. John grinned.
He got up and brought a bucket from the little cabinet next to the kitchen. Then he sat Indian fashion on his bed, the bucket between his legs.
"What now?"
PUT YOUR HAND INTO THE BUCKET
He did as the alien had instructed. For a moment nothing happened and John felt a little stupid sitting on his bed, holding his right hand into an empty bucket. There was after all still the remote chance that this was some elaborate joke played by Gordon and somewhere a camera was taking pictures to be displayed at the next Christmas party to the amusement of everybody else.
But then all thoughts of a joke from Gordon left his mind. He felt his hand suddenly growing heavy. Water seemed to pour from every pore, enveloping the hand with a sheen of liquid. The film got thicker, flowing as in slow motion towards the bottom of the container. John's heart rate increased as a small puddle formed in the bucket, growing steadily larger. In less than a minute, the small container was half full.
When nothing more came out his hand, John pulled it back, staring at it disbelievingly. He wiggled his fingers, looking at his hand from both sides. It looked the same as always only that just a minute ago an alien being had basically poured out of it.
If he had had any doubts left, they were now gone.
He peered into the bucket. Hunter looked pretty much like half a gallon of slimy water. Thinking that this had been inside of his body just minutes ago wasn't exactly a pleasant thought. But he didn't feel any different, really, so it seemed he hadn't been any worse off because of it.
John placed the bucket very carefully on the floor and got up from the bed.
"I'll be right back," he addressed the bucket, not knowing if Hunter could even hear him.
He went into the com room and flipped a switch on the control panel.
"John Tracy calling Brains."
John had to wait a moment before the engineer answered his call. Brains was probably working on one project or another, and usually disliked to be distracted from his work.
"What is up, J-j-john?"
The display lit up, showing the bespectacled engineer wearing a lab coat. From what John could see from the room behind him, he was in lab 2.
"Brains, do you remember that piece of metal you pulled out of my side the other week?"
"Uh, o-o-off course I do, John. It is, ehr, a very interesting p-p-piece of material." Brains pushed his glassed up the bridge of his nose, looking curiously at John. John was sure Brains wondered why John was asking.
"So you already performed an analysis?"
"Yes. It is a very, ehm, interesting c-c-composition. I, uh, have never seen a-a-anything like that. I, uh, even think it might, ehr, not be from this w-w-world."
"Have you told anybody of your results yet?" John urged.
Brains thought about that for a moment. "No, ehr, not yet. I did not, ehm, have the time."
John breathed out. "Good. Brains, would you mind keeping that under wraps a little bit longer? I have something here that might be related to it."
"No p-p-problem, John."
"Thanks, Brains. See ya later."
"Bye, John."
John had taken a risk in calling Brains, but he figured that of all the inhabitants of Tracy Island, he would be the least likely to be infected by the alien. Hunter had told him that he and the one he was hunting had both landed their ships under water, and the only way to reach a human would have been when somebody came close to the alien. The aliens' mobility was severely limited on land, so if there had been a contact it had been most likely on one of the island's beaches.
Brains practically never left his lab, and John couldn't recall him ever taking a stroll along the water – something that practically everybody else on the island did regularly.
He only hoped he hadn't been wrong.
But he hadn't wanted Hunter there for that talk, as he was pretty sure there would have been protests. Besides, the two reasons he had give Hunter were both true.
Steeling himself, he walked back into the bedroom. It was time that Hunter got back into his body. The thought was a little revolting, John had to admit, especially now that he had seen the alien in his natural form.
But he also knew that Hunter had no chance of achieving his goal and catch the other alien without John's help. And as that other alien threatened his friends and family John would do anything he had to do to help.
Looking at the creature in the bucket, he almost reconsidered. All his basic instincts screamed at him not to do it. His stomach clenched and he felt slightly nauseous.
He took a deep breath exhaling slowly through his nose. The alien had trusted him, else he would never have left John's body. He seemed to be pretty helpless outside of a host. John didn't know how helpless, but it was obvious that without a host, without him, Hunter would never achieve what he had come to Earth for.
In the end John had no choice. He knew he had to do it.
Inhaling once again, he dipped his hand inside the bucket and inside the slimy mass sitting within.
Still he closed his eyes and tried to think of something else, when he felt the alien slowly sift back inside.
Tbc
Next chapter John and Hunter are getting more active as they are 'Coming Home'
Gismo: Interesting dilemma, isn't it. If the boys leave the island, they might 'spread' the other alien, so he can't be found, but if they stay lives are at stake. Of course, where would be the fun if I would allow that? ;) Prey is still inside somebody on the island. Only questions is … who?
fellowriverrat 'Needle' was written 1949, long before the age of Goa'ulds and Trills. As far as I know Clement was the first to come up with the idea of an alien host. I also thought it was a very fascinating concept, so I took it and ran with it. If you have to steal a plot, steal one you like ;)
Yes, the others will get more screen time later. Mostly Gordon (as I have neglected him pretty much so far), but also some Scott and Virgil. And a little bit of Alan – not too much, though ;)